ACUPRESSURE SUPERIOR TO PHYSICAL THERAPY FOR LOW BACK PAIN

Low back pain is an extremely common condition. By some estimates, 80% of the adult population will experience low back pain at some point in their lives. While acupuncture has been shown to be an effective form of back pain relief, less is known about the effectiveness of acupressure (Shiatsu) in treating the condition. A new study has shown that acupressure provides significant relief to people who suffer from low back pain and that the benefits can last several months after treatment has been discontinued.

In the study, 129 people with chronic low back pain were assigned to two treatment groups. 64 people received 6 sessions of acupressure in a one-month period, with all treatments performed by one senior therapist to help eliminate any differences in the type of care provided. The remaining patients received one month of standard physical therapy at an orthopaedic specialty clinic. At baseline, immediately after the last treatment and at a 6-month follow up, all of the patients were asked to fill out disability questionnaires to measure the effectiveness of care.

Compared to patients in the physical therapy group, patients treated with acupressure reported an 89% reduction in significant disability. This improvement was seen throughout the duration of the study. Patients who received acupressure also scored better on measures of pain and missed less time away from work or school, than physical therapy patients.

The authors of the study cautioned that the effectiveness of therapies such as acupressure depends on the experience and technique of the therapist providing care. Nevertheless, they suggested that acupressure is an effective form of relief for people with low back apin and that further studies be conducted to determine its effectiveness on other types of pain.

Reference: Hsieh L L-C, Kup D-H, Lee LH, et al. Treatment of low back pain by acupressure and physical therapy: randomised controlled trial. British Medical Journal, published 17 February 2006, doi: 10.1136/bmj.38744.672616.AE.